The connection parts normally used to join a panel to the vehicle body are located on the vehicle body ready to receive a carriage or retainer element of the panel that is inserted by sliding until the retainer is coupled with the connection parts.
The different temperatures to which the panel and the vehicle body are subjected and their various materials result in expansions of these elements that deteriorate the attachment of the panel and the body, even damaging the panel. This situation can also be worsened by the fact that the initial adjustment between parts has been forced because of the dimensional deviations of the coupled elements from their nominal dimensions.
In order to solve this drawback a number of developments are proposed such as those discussed in EP 0 939 234, which describes a connection between a support and a panel that comprises a connection part that locks in the vehicle body and a cartridge associated to the panel provided with a bushing in which the upper overhanging segment of the connection part is coupled. The bushing is centred and connected to the cartridge body by a number of elastically deformable spiral ribs, so that the positional misalignments that may exist between the upper part of the connection part and the retention ring within fabrication tolerances may be absorbed by the elastic deformation of the ribs. Similarly, the ribs will absorb the variations resulting from the expansion of the panel or the vehicle body.
Another possible solution considered in EP 0 937 898 discloses in that the connection part incorporates an upper crown with the aforementioned spiral elastic ribs, which will absorb the dimensional variations when coupled to the retainer element of the panel. This solution can also be seen in ES 2 163 221.
On the other hand, U.S. Pat. No. 6,336,768 discusses a connection unit between a vehicle body support and a panel. The panel is provided with a retainer associated in which a connection part is coupled. The connection part is previously attached to the body by anchoring elements on its lower elongated segment and is provided with a number of discs that enter by lateral sliding in corresponding recesses defined in the support. This connection part incorporates a circular elastic gasket that rests on the inner face of the vehicle body to prevent leaks through the orifice made in said body through which the elongated lower segment of the connection part passes.
The use of this elastic gasket is also considered in EP 0 964 170.